Lace-curtain stretcher



2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

(No Model.)

A. P. BOHLINGER.

LACE CURTAIN STRETCH-ER.

Patented Jan. 23, 1894.

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(No Model.) I 2 Sh'eets--Sheet 2. v

A. P. BOHLINGER. LACE CURTAIN STRETOHER.

No. 513,073. Patented Jan. 23, 1894.-

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFI E.

ALFRED P. BOHLINGER, ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI.

LACE-CURTAIN STRETCHER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 513,073, dated January 23, 1894.

Applicati n filed May 15, 1891. Serial No. 392,912. (No model.)

T0 at whoin/ it may concern:

lie it known that I, ALFRED P. BOHLINGER, a citizen of the United States, residing in the city of St. Louis and State of Missouri, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Lace-Curtain Stretchers, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

My invention relates to adjustable frames on which to stretch lace curtains to dry the curtains when washed, and has for its object to construct such a frame in a manner adapting it to be conveniently folded so as to occupy a minimum space when not being used and that the mechanical parts adapting it to be so folded as to be secured together in such a manner as to make a stiff, rigid frame when extended for use and to remain assembled when the frame is folded.

It consists, in brief, in securing the diiferent sections, of which the rails or frame pieces are composed, together by a hinge, in the special construction of the sleeve adapted to be slid over such hinge joints to make them rigid, when the frame is extended, and further, in specially constructed hooks for securing the edges of the curtain to the stretcher frame.

In the accompanying drawings, in which like letters of reference denote like parts in the several figures, Figure 1 is a plan view of the frame extended ready for use. Fig. '2 is an enlarged perspective view of one corner of the frame shown in Fig.1. Fig. 3 is an enlarged perspective view of the top side of the joint in'the side rail, as shown in Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the under side of the joint shown in Fig. 3. Fig. 5' is a perspective view of the side of the joint when folded. Fig. 6 is a perspective view of the sliding joint sleeve detached. Fig. 7 is a cross section of the side rail, showing the form of the sleeve and the grooves formed in the rail for the inturned edges of the sleeve to slide in. v Fig. 8 is a view as in Fig. 7, showing a slight modification in the form of the sleeve. Figs. 9,10 and 11 are views illustrative of the difierent styles of hooks. Fig.

12 is a perspective view of one of the onepiece rails, with the hooks removed. Fig. 13 is a perspective view of one of the sectional rails when folded together.

Fig. 14 is a perspective view, as in Fig. 13 of two sectional rails laid side by side ready for shipping or storage. Fig. 15 is a plan view of the sectional side rails folded and the one-piece end rails in the act of being folded.

The proportions of curtains are such, gen

erally, that the side rails can be made in two sections, each section of a length corresponding to the length of the end rails, so that when the whole frame is folded together, the folded side rails will not be longer than the end rails.

It is obvious that, without departing from the essential features of my invention, I can form the end rails in sections and the side rails in more than two, if the circumstances require it.

As illustrated, the two end rails 2, which are composed of one piece, and the two side rails 1,which are composed of two sections connected midway in their length, are formed with a slot 10 near their two ends and are secured together when the frame is extended by the bolts 9% and thumb-nuts 9 (see Fig. 2) thereby enabling the width and length of the frame to be adjusted.

The two sections of the side rails ,1 are secured'together at the joint 18 by the hinge 3, which is secured to the adjacent ends of the side rail'sections by the screws 12, the hinge being secured to the upper face of the rails in such manner that the sections may be folded together face to face, as shown in Fig. 5. The inneredge of the upper face of the rails is cut down, so that when the hooks 7 are driven through the rails (as shown in Figs. 7 and 8) their hook ends can project above the surface of the rail and still offer no obstruction to their being folded close together, as shown in Fig. 5 I

To make the joint 18 rigid when the sections are folded out or extended, as shown in Fig. 3, I make use of the stiffening plate 5 which is formed simply with upturned edges 14, shown in Fig. 8, or with the additional inturned lips 15, which are adapted to engage with the groove 13 cutiu the sides of the rail, as shown in Fig. 7-in either case forming an opensided sleeve adapted to embrace the sides of the rails, and, when made to extend over the joint 18, as shown in Fig. 3, to make the joint inflexible, when the bolt is secured in this position by the bolts 4, which are let through the material of the rails and through the plates of the hinge 3, perforations being made therefor in the same, and the thumbnuts 11. The sleeve 5 is formed with the longitudinal slots 16 and 17-16 a closed slot and 17 with one end open. The object in forming the perforation through the material of the sleeves 5 for the bolts 4 as a slot is to permit of the sleeve being slid along the rail Without removing the thumb-nuts 11 or the bolts 4. For this reason the slot on one end must be open-ended in order to allow of the sleeve being slid altogether from beneath the thumb-nut, which secures that end of the sleeve, as is necessary when the two members of the rail are folded together. The slot 16 1s long enough to enable the sleeve 5 to be slid far enough so as not to project beyond the end of the section to which it is attached, as shown in Fig. 5. While the inturned lip 15, fitting in the groove 13 (see Fig. 7) would act to make the joint rigid of itself, it is preferable, even with this form of sleeve, to make use of the bolts 4 and thumb-nuts 11 to further strengthen the joint against fieXure. This additional strengthening of the joint is very necessary since the hinge is necessarily limited in width by the formation of the rabbet 8, along the inner upper faces of the rail sections. The provision of the slide plate on the under side of the rail sections opposite the hinge, said plate having lips which take into grooves formed in the sides of the rails, insures perfect rigidity of the joint, which would otherwise be greatly weakened by the use of so narrow a hinge. If the form of sleeve shown in Fig. Sis used it is obvious that it cannot be removed as a whole from the rails, but even in this form it is preferable to form the sleeve with the slots 16 and 17 and slide the sleeve along the rail, to the removed position shown in Fig. 5, when it is desired to fold the sections together, that is without removing the sleeve altogether from the rail and only loosening, not removing, the nuts 11 on the bolts 4.

When it is desired to fold the frame together preparatory to its being shipped or stored, one of the bolts 9% at one of the corners is removed and the end rail 2 andthe side rail 1 separated at that point. The same thing is done at the opposite corner, dividing the frame into two similar parts, composed, respectively, of the two sections of one side rail and one end rail. The sleeves 5 on either side rails are slipped along the rail 1, first loosening up the thumb-nuts 11, until the end of the sleeve is even with the end of the section. Then the sections are folded together, as shown in Fig. 13, and the end rails turned to coincide in their length with the folded sections of the side rail, the operation of which is shown in Fig. 15. The two parts can then be placed side by side forming a compact bundle of the whole frame of a convenient length to handle.

In Figs. 9, 10 and 11, I have shown three difierent styles of hooks or more properly three different forms of material from which the hooks are constructed. While all these styles may be used, yet the preferable form is illustrated in Fig. 9. The requisites of such a hook are these:-that it shall be, preferably, rigid, that it shall be provided with some means to prevent it from turning and that it be provided with means to prevent it from being withdrawn. The form, as illustrated in Fig. 9 and its applicationin Figs. 7 and 8, fulfill these requirements. It consists in a blank, as illustrated in Fig. 9, formed with a pointed end and a staple-like shank end, or, as a whole, as a staple with one member or leg very much extended comparatively. In applying it to the rails the longer member is driven through the rail from the back side through the comparatively thin part of the rail, as already described-forcing the shorter member of the staple into the material of the rail until that end of the blank is flush with that side of the rail, allowing the pointed longer member to project through the rail on the face side of the same, when it is bent over in the desired direction forming the required book. It is obvious that the staple-like shank end will prevent the hook from turning when being used and that the laterally extended head portion formed thereby will prevent its being withdrawn.

I claim- In a curtain stretcher, the combination with the adjoining rail-sections, each of which is rabbeted on the inner portion of its upper face, and is provided with a series of hooks set along said rabbet, of a strap hinge secured to the upper faces of the respective sections outside the rabbets thereof,a bolt set through each end of said hinge in each section, each of such bolts projecting from the rear face of the respective sections, a slide-plate having wings on its opposite sides, said plate being mounted on the rear face of the respective sections opposite the hinge and having its wings extending over the opposite edges of said sections, and having slots formed in it one of which is open-ended, said slots being arranged to receive the projecting ends ofthe bolts, and thumb-nuts on said bolts, whereby said plate may be locked against longitudinal movement, substantially as set forth.

ALFRED P. BOHLINGER.

Witnesses:

MAX. FRITZ, WM. 0. FRITZ. 

